Chapter Twenty-Three

“What do you think of this one?”

Lance laughed as he glanced over his shoulder. Jody stood in the doorway of the library wearing yet another outfit. This must be the fourth or fifth time she’d changed. “I’m running out of things to say. You look great in everything you’ve shown me so far.”

She stepped further into the room. “I think I’ll go back to the blue pantsuit. It’s dressy, but not too much so.”

“You can’t go wrong with blue. It matches your eyes.”

“I feel bad about you and Norah having to stay in on New Year’s Eve.”

“We weren’t going anywhere.”

“You won’t even be alone. You’re babysitting Logan.”

“If it doesn’t bother us, it shouldn’t bother you. You’ve earned a night out. Stop feeling guilty at the prospect of having fun without Logan, and stop stressing about your clothes. Hunter’s seen you running around in baggy sweatpants and t-shirts. He obviously finds you attractive.”

“I don’t mean to be difficult. This is the first time I’ve been out alone with a man since Nigel. I want to go, and yet I’m scared to think I might like it. What’s wrong with me?”

“You’re human, Jody. You’re in a place you never thought you’d be, about to experience something familiar and yet new. Take one moment at a time. Don’t look ahead to where it might or might not lead.”

“Not looking ahead is hard for me. I don’t do well with uncertainty. I like to know what’s happening so I can plan for it.”

“You’re not alone in that. I’m the same way.”

“Where are Norah and Logan?”

“They went to get more sparklers.”

“Two boxes aren’t enough?”

“Apparently not.”

She smiled. “Things are going good between you and Norah. You didn’t believe me when I told you that you’d meet a woman you couldn’t ignore.”

“No, I didn’t. You’ve earned your ‘I told you so’ moment.”

“That’s just one thing you were wrong about. You also underestimated how long I’d be living here.”

“How’s that?”

“When you marry Norah, Logan and I will need to move out.”

“Where do you get these crazy ideas?”

“Come on, Lance,” she said somewhat impatiently. “You can’t tell me the thought of marrying Norah hasn’t crossed your mind.”

“What does that have to do with you moving out?”

“Don’t be obtuse. We can’t live here after you get married.”

“Why not?”

She shot him an irritated glance. “Because you and Norah will want to be alone.”

“Have you noticed the size of this house? Being alone with Norah won’t be a problem. You were the one who created the ‘moving out when I get married’ caveat. I went along with it because I never imagined the issue would come up. Now that it has, let me settle this once and for all. You and Logan are welcome to stay here as long as I own the house.”

“If you won’t think of yourself, think about Norah. It’s not fair to ask her to share her new husband and new home with two other people. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. I’m trying to do the right thing.”

Lance walked over to where she stood. “Or what you think is the right thing. If and when you go, I want it to be because you’re ready to move on, not because I’m getting married.”

Tears slid down her cheeks. “You take your promises seriously, don’t you?”

“I take the word family seriously.”

The sound of the back door opening and closing ended this conversation. Lance hoped it might end the subject of Jody moving out, too. He had no intention of letting her return to the same bad situation, and everything he knew about Norah told him she’d feel the same way.

* * * * *

Norah added the sugar, butter and evaporated milk to the saucepan on the stove. Then she reached for the long wooden spoon belonging to her grandmother. “Now we have to stir it until it gets thick and bubbly.”

“When will it look like fudge?” Logan asked.

“That won’t happen until we put in the chocolate chips.”

“Can I have two pieces?”

“I don’t see why not. This is a special occasion.”

“Can I stay up until the big ball comes down?”

”Of course. You can help me keep Lance awake.”

“Mommy drinks coffee when she wants to stay awake.”

Lance chuckled. “I found something better than coffee for that.”

Norah lifted her eyes off the pan and met his amused glance. “No comments from the peanut gallery. Your job is to make sure Logan doesn’t fall off the chair.”

“Should I turn on the ceiling fan?” he asked with a straight face. “You look a little…warm. It must be the heat from the stove.”

“Boys who misbehave don’t get any fudge.”

Logan laughed. “You better be good, Lance.”

“I’ll try, but it’s hard when temptation is so close at hand.”

Norah sent him another stern glance. He winked in return. She decided it was time to give his thoughts another direction. “Will the floor in the main hall be repaired by Wednesday when we reopen? Showing the portraits is an important part of the tour.”

The twinkle in Lance’s eyes became even more pronounced. “I’ve been assured it will be ready by tomorrow afternoon.”

“It’s a shame you had to redo the whole floor because of one spot.”

“I figured as long as he was doing it, we might as well have it all done.”

Norah noticed her candy mixture was boiling. Once the syrup reached the right temperature, she pulled the hot pan off the heat.

“Okay, Logan. You can pour in the chocolate chips. Be careful not to touch the sides of the pan.”

“Oh, look!” Logan said excitedly. “They’re melting.”

“That’s what we want. Lance, start putting in the marshmallow cream.”

Norah tried not to laugh as she watched his efforts to get the white sticky glob off the spoon. He finally gave up and used his fingers. “Whatever you do, don’t touch anything until you get that off.”

“Now you tell me.”

She finished stirring the fudge and poured it in the baking pan. “Now we have to let it cool before we can cut it.” She turned to look at Lance. He was attempting to lick marshmallow cream off his fingers. It wasn’t going well. There were patches of white sticking to his lips and chin. “Would you like some help?”

He laughed, his eyes sliding to Logan. “Better not. Things could get out of hand quickly.”

Color rose in Norah’s face as his implication became clear. “That’s enough out of you.”

“I guess this means I won’t be getting any fudge.”

“That remains to be seen.” She gave him a push toward the doorway. “Go get cleaned up. We’ve got sparklers to light.”

* * * * *

Lance looked down at Logan, not surprised to find him asleep. “He made it longer than I thought he would.”

Norah reached for the remote and turned off the television. “I think the fudge might have had something to do with that.”

“Along with the excitement of you being here.” He picked Logan up in his arms. “I’ll put him to bed. Meet me in the kitchen.”

“Are you going to need that coffee after all?”

He laughed. “Not after all that marshmallow cream. There’s something I want to show you.”

It didn’t take long to get Logan tucked in. Norah was looking out the kitchen window when he walked in.

“Our neighbors are doing a little more than sparklers and bottle rockets,” she told him.

“So I heard.” He reached for her hand. “Come with me.”

She smiled up at him. “Are you giving me a tour?”

“You could call it that.”

When they got to the entrance of the hall, he stopped in front of the tarp hanging from the ceiling to the floor.

She sent him a puzzled glance. “I thought we weren’t supposed to walk through here.”

“That requirement ended yesterday. I extended it so you wouldn’t figure out what else I was doing. Your fascination with Rutherford Dawes got me curious about him. I did some research and found out he was married to Charlotte Dawes. I think these star-crossed lovers have been separated long enough, don’t you?” He swept aside the tarp and drew Norah into the hall.

Her hands flew to her mouth when she saw Charlotte Dawes hanging opposite Rutherford. “You moved her! I’ve wanted to do that since I started working here. I was told it wasn’t possible because Rutherford’s marriage to Charlotte was never formally recognized.”

“New house owner; new rules.”

She hugged his arm. “This makes me happy. Now Rutherford doesn’t have to be lonely anymore. I think his smile is a little brighter, don’t you?”

He dropped a kiss on her hair. “Should Charlotte and I be jealous?”

“My interest in Rutherford is because of his history. Everyone likes a good redemption story. He’s a bad boy who turned good. It’ll be nice to add Charlotte to the tour.”

“I agree. Now that we’ve settled Rutherford’s affairs, it’s time to talk about our own. Where do you want to ring in the New Year?”

“On the porch.”

He laughed. “I had a feeling you were going to say that. Are we star-gazing again?”

“To start with. After that, who knows?”

“I like what I’m hearing. Get your jacket, and I’ll grab a blanket.”

It wasn’t long before they were sitting side-by-side on one of the chaise lounges. Lance took his eyes off the sky to look at Norah.

“What are you thinking about?”

She turned to face him. “Everything that’s happened in the last twelve months. Life isn’t static, but it is somewhat consistent. It’s never all good or all bad. There’s just enough of the first to help you get through the second.”

He nodded. “The world isn’t perfect, but everything I love is in it.”

* * * * *

Lance pressed a kiss on each of Norah’s fingers, then her palm and then the inside of her wrist.  His touch left sparks in its wake and sent shivers of delight down her spine. His hand rose to cup her chin and then his thumb slowly skimmed her full lower lip. A groan escaped him when she nipped at his finger. The next moment his mouth was on hers, his fevered kisses making everything else disappear.

Fireworks sounded in the distance. Lance lifted his head, a smile dawning on his face. “Happy New Year, Norah.”

“Happy New Year, Lance.”

He feathered his fingers across her lips, cheek and into her hair. “I never imagined that buying my dream house would get me my dream girl. When you opened the door, and I saw you standing there, I knew life would never be the same.”

“Sometimes we get something we didn’t expect, in the place where we least expect it. The best things in life don’t come easy. They’re usually complicated and messy. And sometimes the moments that make the most sense happen when everything else doesn’t.”

“We’ve gone from being boss and employee to being friends to being much more than that. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but already you’ve become essential to my happiness. I don’t usually advise clients to rush into major decisions, but asking you to be my wife just seems like the natural next step. I don’t expect you to give me an answer tonight or anytime soon if it comes to that. There’s also Jody and Logan to consider. I’ve offered them a home here. I understand if you need time to think about it. I’ll try not to be impatient, but I can’t promise I won’t strive with every fiber of my being to get you to say yes. Being an attorney, I find it extremely difficult not to argue my case.”

By the time he finished, tears were inching down Norah’s cheeks. “I don’t need time, Lance. I want more than anything to be your wife. It wouldn’t matter to me if all of your family lived here. I would marry you tomorrow if it was possible.”

“Never tell me something isn’t possible. I found you, didn’t I?”

The kisses that followed were soft, warm, and turned her insides into melted wax. As she sank further into his arms, Norah knew with certainty that she’d finally found the kind of love her grandparents had. The legacy of love they’d sown in her had come full circle.